BUCYRUS - City officials, who have been studying whether to remove two stop signs at the intersection of East Southern Avenue and Rogers Street all of this year, are now allowing the state to study the issue some more.

Mayor Jeff Reser briefed city council on the matter during an abbreviated election night meeting Tuesday, as he detailed what went down during a packed traffic commission meeting late last week.

"ODOT will do a survey and we'll have the results for the next (traffic commission) meeting and hopefully put this to bed," Reser said.

"We had several people speaking in favor of removing the stop signs on Southern Avenue. Those who want it removed cite the fact that there is no school on Walnut anymore, so there is not enough east-west traffic to justify the stop signs on Southern. Those who are in favor of keeping the signs are concerned about visibility as well as possible accidents from having drivers get used to a new traffic pattern. They are also concerned about possible speeding that may result."

Councilman William O'Rourke has been leading the fight to have the stop signs removed, noting that it's against state law to use the signs to control speed. The city then conducted a traffic count, and found the traffic volume on Rogers wasn't high enough to merit the signs on Southern under state regulations.

The Ohio Department of Transportation will now do a visibility study to determine whether poor visibility on Rogers Street at Southern merits keeping the intersection a four-way stop.

Also Tuesday, Service-Safety Director Jeff Wagner updated council members on construction progress at the new water treatment plant going up on Beechgrove Lane.

"Tonight they hit an 18-inch steel casing, they don't know whose it is, but they're a good crew, they'll figure it out," Wagner said.

"Drive by and take a look, it's slowly rising," Council president Sis Love said of the new facility.

Wagner noted the bidding process was opened recently for sewer work on Plymouth Street, and that the city received 11 bids. "I don't think I've ever received that many," he said. "It was nice to see so many prices."

Wagner also said leaf pickup has begun in the city, and advised residents to rake their leaves only to the curb, not into the street.

In official business, council accepted Friendship Lane as a public thoroughfare in the city. The short roadway extends north from West Southern Avenue just east of Wyandot Road, by the wastewater treatment plant.

"Friendship Lane is now official," Love said. "How many years has it been there?"